Around 600 Nepali containers have been stranded at the Rasuwagadhi border point after China denied them the required one-day passes to cross the border.

As long lines of vehicles snaked along the road from Syaphru to the Rasuwagadhi border, leaving around 1,000 container drivers and businessmen stuck in the border area.

Container driver Pushkar Regmi of Belkot said they could not go to Kerung due to the lack of pass. “We have come to Rasuwagadhi on the orders of traders to bring in goods from Kerung,” he said.

Kerung lies about 22km from the Rasuwagadhi border point. However, Chinese immigration officials informed them that they would not issue the pass until they receive authorisation from higher authorities.

“Nepali traders may have to wait for some time before the Chinese authorities distribute the passes again. The Kerung-based Chinese authority cannot issue the one-day permit for traders without authorisation from the Tibet government,” said Kedar Paneru, chief of Customs Office in Rasuwa. Chinese embassy officials were not immediately available for comment.

During a recent meeting on border and customs between the two countries, China had agreed to make arrangements for allowing Nepali traders, trucks and drivers to cross over to Kerung, the bordering Chinese market that connects with Rasuwa district.

“China has been reconstructing infrastructure in Kerung after the April 25 earthquake which has also created difficulties for clearance of Nepal-bound trucks,” said Paneru. According to him, about 500-700 trucks have started moving from Lhasa. Traders are worried after the Chinese officials stopped distributing the passes.

Dharma Lal Shrestha, a trader, said they have been staying at the border point for a week in a hope of getting the pass. The drivers with the permanent border pass are now charging Rs7,000-20,000 extra to bring goods to Rasuwagadhi. China has distributed permanent passes to locals of 15 districts close to the border. Ramchandra Timilsina of the Rasuwa Customs Office said the businessmen and the container drivers have been facing problems after the Chinese customs imposed restrictions on the distribution of passes. “This has also affected our revenue collection,” he said.  

Meanwhile, Nepali Immigration Office has given permission to distribute one-day passes on the Nepali side. Chief of Immigration Office Om Prasad Pandey said they have been distributing one-day passes to Nepali container drivers and traders, but they are returning after being refused the pass by the Chinese immigration. The traders have requested the government to take an initiative in facilitating the one-day pass at the earliest.